Merry Christmas!

 I had a merry, cold, brown Christmas today.  First thing I opened the package from DD that's been here for a week.  It's a pair of giraffe pillowcases!  DD makes the best pillowcases in soft flannel prints.  Can't wait to sleep on them.  They also sent a DVD of A Charlie Brown Christmas, a gift card, and 2021 calendar with pictures of IT for each month.  That's sure to bring a year of smiles.

 

The pair of House Finches were at the platform feeder this morning.  I was glad to hear from another bird-feeding friend that she hasn't had many birds at her feeders either so it's not just me.  Maybe the lack of snow has made it possible for the birds to find natural food so far this year.  Maybe when the snow piles up the birds will come back.  I hope, I hope.

This afternoon the bag of gifts and the bowl of pudding and I went over to DS's house for hugs, and presents, and supper.  And more hugs.  Lots of hugs.  We stored them up because we'll go back to social distancing after today.  I got a DVD of How The Grinch Stole Christmas and some yummy lotion.  I asked for the DVDs because they're my two favorite Christmas shows and now I won't have to find them on the TV, I can watch them when I want to.  Even if it isn't Christmastime.

The Friday Night Knitters met tonight because we were all at home and mostly alone.  I started another cast sock(#9) so I'd have something simple to knit on.  This is that odd pinkish yarn called Raspberry something (I can't remember) and I have a couple more skeins of it.  I can't knit it up fast enough.

 

25 December--Barbara Malcolm, The Seaview. 

Chapter 27

            All the next week Iggy and I were polite.  I watched him when he worked in the lobby, admiring the line of his back and the ropy strength of his arms as he pulled wire through.  It wasn't easy to keep my distance from him when the crew was so small but having the plumbers there meant that we were rarely alone.

            Calvin's voice boomed as he called to his crew, standing in the lobby and hollering instructions to the workers upstairs.  Calvin watched me whenever he was in the same room making me think that Iggy had confided in him.  I couldn't imagine confiding in Calvin.  He was so full of himself and so heedless of other people that I questioned Iggy's intelligence being his friend all these years. 

            "Mrs. Rose?"  I looked up from my sewing to see Iggy holding a light fixture. 

            "Yes, Mr. Solomon?" 

            He turned the fixture over to show me that there weren't any wires.  "This light is not wired. I could take it home and wire it up or use a different one.  Another one will not match." 

            I thought about it.  "Where is this supposed to go?"

            "In the turquoise room." 

            "I think a different fixture would be okay there, but how difficult is it to rewire a light like that?"   

            He shook his head.  "Not difficult. I have to take the light all apart, attach the wires, and then fish them through the metal arms. I will ask Silas to help me.  Four hands are better than two on a job like this." 

            It was on the tip of my tongue to offer to help but a vision of Iggy dancing at Johnno's with a succession of women while I sat alone kept my mouth shut.

             My nights were quiet and lonely.  I missed the casual suppers that Iggy and I had gotten into the habit of having together a couple times a week.  I didn't walk down to Johnno's with the crew after work to treat them to drinks either.  Silas asked if I was all right and I told him that I was tired.  He looked suspicious but nodded and didn't say more.  A couple times I felt someone brush past me as I stood pinning curtain hems and smiled thinking it was Iggy. I turned to see Calvin leering at me from across the room.  My smile immediately melted away. 

            On Friday Edward caught my arm as I walked past him on my way to the container.  "Mrs. Rose, save me a dance at the jump-up on Sunday." 

            I covered his hand with mine.  "I won't be at the jump-up on Sunday. Sorry." 

            His face fell.  "Why you not coming?  I likes to dance with you. Don' you like dancing with me?"             

           "I like dancing with you, I do, but I have some forms, insurance forms that need filling out and I plan to get that done on Sunday."  I walked on and said, "Maybe next week." 

            Behind me I heard him click his tongue and say, "She need to dance more than work." 

            It made me smile.  Edward was a simple soul who expected everyone to be as happy as he was.  I envied him. 

            That night I went down to the Barrel Stave for supper.  Rebecca greeted me warmly and led me to the table near the window where I had a view of the bay and the moonlight. 

            "Will Mr. Solomon be joining you?" she asked. 

            I shook my head.  I said, "No, he won't." and picked up my menu. 

            She stood at my elbow for a moment and then moved away to greet new arrivals.  Tears blurred the print and I stared out at the water.  It surprised me how much I missed Iggy.  I felt like a high school girl whose first crush had asked out the head cheerleader instead of her.  The only thing I lacked was a clutch of girlfriends to listen to me whine about it.

            The weekend was long and boring and rainy so I couldn't even go out on the dive boat to pass the time.  I sat in my room looking at magazines that were at least as old as my car and tried not to think about Iggy. 

            The next week was more of the same.  We were polite when we needed to consult on matters concerning the Seaview but otherwise we didn't talk to each other.  Oh, how I longed for the easy banter of a few weeks ago.

No tossing today and no writing.  Just a quiet day with a big treat of family time in the afternoon.  A perfect pandemic Christmas.

--Barbara